Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer
by Delorme
|
List Price: Our Price: $12.73 You Save: $7.22 (36%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $11.54 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer
Book Review: DO NOT BUY!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
I live in a rural part of southern Arizona, and for many years I always took a copy of this atlas with me while 4 wheeling around the wonderful mountains and deserts. I always recommended it to anyone who spent any time whatsoever traveling. I also have copies of DeLorme's atlases of every western state.
I wore out several copies, and was looking forward to using the latest, 2008 edition, with the wonderful shaded relief and enhanced graphics.
This is not just a disappointment. It is now a dangerous book.
The level of detail is magnificent; too bad it is just plain wrong. Important dirt roads that cross mountain ranges have vanished. New roads, straight as arrows, seem to plow through rugged wilderness areas that have never, and will never, see a road of any kind. The paved county road that connects my small town with the even smaller town 6 miles away has inexplicably vanished.
If you have an older edition, keep it! Preserve it, coat it with vinyl and keep it safe. Because you cannot trust the present edition.
I went out and bought the newest BenchMark maps version of Arizona, and it appears to be correct, and it will be my new guide to getting around. The other DeLorme atlases I own? I cannot trust them, but I have spent too much to merely throw them away. So maybe I'll use them in conjunction with Benchmark atlases. But I'll never be able to trust them alone.
What a shame!
I called up DeLorme, wondering if perhaps, because I live on the border with Mexico, maybe they were cooperating with Homeland Security to confuse immigrants. But they denied it, and said that the level of detail is consistent with other DeLorme atlases. Which means they are probably all equally worthless.
So, once again, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! It is dangerous to rely on a map that has gone through the computer blender.
Book Review: A State with Wide Open Spaces...
Summary: 5 Stars
The DeLorme Arizona Atlas and Gazetteer is an excellent resource for trip planning. Arizona is a deceptively big state with lots of wide open spaces and some specially rugged terrain, including the Grand Canyon. This atlas should allow the average traveler to navigate pretty much anywhere on the road network, and to gain some appreciation for the terrain along the way. The scale of the map is 1:260,000, which is reasonably useful for the size of the state. Major roads are identified, and many minor roads are at least visible on the map. The multicolored presentation enhances the terrain relief. The map sheets are marked with latitude and longitude for GPS grids.
In addition to a locational gazatteer, this Delorme Atlas provides general information on recreational opportunities. The listings include federal and state parks, game management areas for hunting, and locations suitable for fishing. There is a handy listing of campgrounds and one map devoted to the Grand Canyon, a major visitor attraction. The map scale is not suitable for off-road navigation. Those travelers planning to do off-road route finding are advised to consult more detailed products.
The DeLorme Arizona Atlas and Gazetteer is very highly recommended for planning and navigating, whether for business or pleasure, around Arizona.
Book Review: REVISED EDITION IS EVEN BETTER
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Purcell is pretty thorough in his review. As for the nitpickers, if they really want to get names and numbers of backroads, they can contact the forest service and BLM, as well as the park service, who publishes maps of logging roads, and other limited use roadways. At 1:250,000, who could expect a name or number tag anyway of off-the-beaten trail access roads anyway? What's nice about the new edition is De Lorme has added graphics to note relief, rather than topo lines found on previous editions (Perhaps due to competition from Benchmark Maps). I like the DeLorme Maps because they tend to be more detailed using a smaller resolution overall than other book maps (1:150,000 up to 1:250,000), and if one needs the detail offered in a 7.5 minute map, they have only to visit TopoZone.com to get really close, after locating the general area conditions on a DeLorme Map.
A great overall set to obtain, at the very least, get your state and every state that surrounds your own, and exploit it for true getaways and area studies!
Book Review: They need to go international. They are the best
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I have used these for years. I just wish they had them for other countries too. We've used the Michelin books and others, but they aren't as good because the scale is better. They are large books, but flat (18X12 inches). They wind up in my duffel bag as they can bend. I bought this one for a friend of mine coming to visit so he and his family could plan their vacation. It lists historic sites, natural scenes, camping places, etc. The maps show lighthouses which is really good as I photograph them and more importantly how to get there. They can be used with GPS though I am of the old school and have never found a real need for a GPS device. These map books and the human brain are adequate so far.Book Review: Good size and detail
Summary: 5 Stars
This atlas and gazetteer is the perfect scale - about 4 miles to the inch. It is big enough to include back roads and details, but small enough that you are not constantly flipping pages if you are on the freeway.
Covering the state in 53 maps, it would measure about 5 x 8 feet if all on one page.
In addition to the maps, there is an index of place names, recreation areas and facilities, fishing and hunting locations, campgrounds, wildlife viewing, family outing suggestions, and a page of the Grand Canyon.
I've subsequently gotten the Oregon atlas as well. It is the same format, and has a page on Crater Lake National Park.